This week, we released a study examining the relationship between the supply of graduates from six regulated professions – medicine, law, teaching, architecture, engineering, nursing – and the labour demand for these graduates. The historical evidence provided in that analysis is clear – we never get it right! We either oversupply or undersupply. This conclusion […]
Category: Harvey P. Weingarten
One of the most important lessons I learned in graduate school is that evidence and data matter. So, when there is a problem to be solved, a challenge to be met, or a strategy or policy to be designed, thinking should be informed, shaped and guided by the best evidence, data and information available. Regrettably, […]
In the preface to his book, The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, John Maynard Keynes wrote: “The ideas which are expressed here…are extremely simple and should be obvious. The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones, which ramify, for those brought up as most of us […]
Work-integrated learning (WIL) and experiential education (EE) are hot topics. This focus has been amplified by recent recommendations from the Business Council of Canada and the Ontario Premier’s Highly Skilled Workforce Expert Panel, as well as reinforced by comments from the Premier, that 100% of postsecondary students should have at least one WIL or EE […]
Today HEQCO is releasing the latest in our continuing series of papers examining the differentiation of the Ontario university sector. Our first analysis emphasized the dimension used most frequently to describe university differentiation – research intensity. On the basis of the data underlying that analysis, we proposed that Ontario universities cluster into four groups – […]
The Business Council of Canada has added its voice to the now ubiquitous call for the expansion of postsecondary experiential education. The general direction and intent of the recommendations are sound, although we worry about the capacity to find meaningful experiential education opportunities for all students. HEQCO and others have long argued the benefits of […]
In last Thursday’s budget, the Ontario government announced significant changes to the way student financial aid will be packaged to encourage greater participation of students from low income families. These changes come after years of research from HEQCO, and other organizations, about the inhibitory effects of a high tuition sticker price and loan aversion on […]
In any policy initiative, it is important to distinguish between goals and strategies. Goals are things you are trying to achieve – the outcomes you are seeking. Strategies are processes and actions that can be employed to achieve these desired outcomes. Strategies are not ends in themselves. Rather, they are tools. Strategies have no inherent […]
A top priority for the new federal government must be to bolster Canada’s modest economic growth and ensure it is inclusive so more than just those at the top end of the income distribution enjoy the benefits. Ageing of the work force combined with the recent anemic pace of productivity growth will likely only produce […]